Going bananas for backyard chickens!

There are so many reasons to keep backyard chickens, which is why so many people are jumping on the backyard chicken train! From the country to the suburbs to tiny city yards, folks are building homes for their feathered friends.

Why keep chickens? Chickens do a lot of great stuff: They eat weeds; they fertilize the ground; they eat yard waste and vegetable scraps; and of course, they produce fresh eggs.

Homeowners use chickens to weed their yards by placing the chickens in what is known as a "chicken tractor". A chicken tractor is a moveable enclosure that is typically made from a frame and chicken wire. The chickens can graze freely inside the chicken tractor. If you need to clear a weeded area, just move the chicken tractor to the weeded area, and let the chickens feast!

These are some backyard beauties in a super cute lime green chicken coop with an attached chicken run. Chickens love to eat yard scraps and weeds. They seem to be enjoying their lunch!

I'm loving this A-frame chicken tractor. It's a clever design because it includes a shaded place for the chickens to roost, as well as an open area for grazing. You can see the difference between the area next to the tractor that the chickens grazed, and the tall grass where the chickens are currently grazing.

Here's a really basic chicken run and backyard chicken coop. Like many backyard coops with attached chicken runs, this one has a hatch door which the birds can enter and exit at will. It's not fancy, but it works.